A Different Kind of Ordeal [Nanaly/Stygia]

[Sunoko]

It had been a whirlwind week for Nanaly, who'd been traveling through the Adelan region for the majority of it. The work of a thaumaturge was never done, it seemed, and neither was the education of one. In her travels, she was asked to help a young boy, a son to a Kestran family of three. The boy had very suddenly fallen ill one day after the family took a trip to the Thunderblacks, and within a day of showing signs of some unknown disease, or perhaps a curse, he fell into a deep sleep which he could not be woken from.

Nanaly spent an entire hour in the boy's room, watching over his condition as she attempted to use her words of power to heal him; He proved, however, far more resistant to her magical words than she expected, reinforcing her belief that a curse was at hand. There were not many ways to break a curse, save with the self-same magic that inflicted it... And after researching his condition, and employing various diving spells, the young Thaumaturge managed to track down the source of his 'curse'.

She had to explain to the family that the boy had fallen victim to the toxins of a plant most commonly known as 'bringbout', a rare herb used sparingly in muscle-relaxing tonics. It was a beautiful blue flower, most commonly located near and inside of the Thunderblack's treacherous mountain caverns, but it's barbs were most commonly collected for alchemists' use; If she were to save the boy-- and she swore that she would-- She would have to travel to the Thunderblacks to collect enough of this flower's thorns to produce a cure.

And thus, here she was, traveling through the lesser foothills of the Thunderblacks in search of stray bringbout; The higher mountain ranges were dragon territory-- she knew it wasn't wise to intrude as such unless absolutely necessary. However, as she traveled the lower ranges, she did come across an unusual find; An old, yet vast castle, situated within the foothills of the Thunderblacks. "..." She would have, on any other day, left it for another day's exploration, and nearly did, before she spotted something very important from the walls of the castle; the occasional healthy, green vine, covered in black thorns, and blue flowers. Bringbout, perhaps? Lured as such, Nanaly proceeded towards the castle's walls, in an attempt to be sure.

[DaGlobster]

Nanaly would indeed find the flowers she needed on the castle's wall, but unfortunately for her, they weren't in the right enough state. They weren't matured just yet, their buds still closed tightly and thorns ungrown. Whether this was because they had somehow grown out of their natural environment, or simply because they hadn't grown yet, she wouldn't be able to tell.

The vines, however, snaked past the gaping doors that led into the castle itself, which were just barely hanging onto their corroded hinges and wide open.

Perhaps, there would be some mature buds inside.

The vines and the occasional immature bud would lead through ancient and richly decorated halls to what used to be the throne room of the castle, which was now converted into a massive and extravagant treasure hoard. Glittering jewels, fine tables and mirrors, and even a throne which no doubt belonged to the castle itself were only a fraction of the kinds of treasures contained inside the room.

The monolithic piles of gold and treasure surrounded a massive basin in the middle of the hall, which was filled to the brim with a dimly glowing liquid, which bubbled and gave of a noxious odor and a sickly green vapor.

Around the basin, the Bringbout was in full bloom.

[Sunoko]

The young thaumaturge was slow-moving, making her way to the castle walls-- It had been a long trip, and she'd be a liar if she said she wasn't tired. She was completely worn out, in all honesty, but her resolve wouldn't let her stop here. She had to recover those flowers, else she wouldn't be able to help that poor boy, and his condition might eventually worsen. With the aid of a walking stick, she did eventually reach the walls, only to find that the flowers she'd spotted from afar were mere buds... Not in bloom.

Regardless, she pressed onward. This was the first vine of bringbout that she'd yet come across, and if there were even a few of them in bloom, just a couple, that would suffice. With a silent sigh of resolve, Nanaly bowed in respect of the castle, as if asking it's permission to enter, before she continued following the bringbout vine.

Nanaly traveled quietly through the ancient castle, her eyes fixated on the vines which continued to lead her down a proverbial rabbit hole in search of treasure. Granted, hers was of a special kind; Not the gold and jewelry that lay scattered through the hall of the vast room she found herself in. If her worn and tattered attire of a black cloak and scarf weren't clue enough, she didn't place much value in her own greed or desires. Helping others was her treasure, and the key to helping that little child was what drove her further into the castle.

Her silent footsteps halted for a moment's time as a fowl smell assaulted her nose; The vines of the bringbout plant had lead her to the center of the room, wherein a strange, glowing pool of liquid sat within a basin at the core of the room, menacing if Nanaly could put a word to it-- But didn't. Pulling her scarf tighter around her mouth and nose, Nanaly pressed onward still; It was a necessary suffering, considering that at the base of the large basin lie what she'd come for; A cascade of bringbout flowers on the vine, in full bloom. With a silent sight of relief, she began to collect the flowers with black mittens, placing them into a small pouch she'd kept hidden until now.

[DaGlobster]

(Oh, something I forgot to mention: I realized I haven't updated Stygia's bio in a while, and just recently added that she also has a hydra form, which she acquired when she pledged her body and soul to Ardeadai, a demon prince in unholy matrimony. She's not using it here, though.)

As Nanaly picked the flowers by the basin's edge, the creature that slumbered at the bottom of the basin stirred. Stygia opened her eyes, glancing around at the walls of the basin before directing her eyes upwards. She went about rousing herself, shifting her weight around.

The surface of the pool started to bubble effervescently as she came out of her slumber, and as bubbles were thrown up by her movements. Suddenly, her head surfaced, causing a small splash of the green liquid to the sides of the basin. Many of the flowers (but not all) immediately started melting and dissolving as soon as the liquid touched them, revealing it to be potent acid.

Her head came to rest fifteen feet above the surface of the acid, with the beginnings of her chest visible. Her front claws surfaced as well, clamping around the basin's edge so she could remain in the position she was.

The luminescent acid dripped from her obsidian colored scales, creating a mesmerizing effect with the combination of gently glowing green and the streaks of violet that showed up in her scales when the light from the hall's various worn-down stained glass windows caught it right. her magnificent and large horns curved sensually, framing her sharp yet delicate features. She was a damn beautiful dragoness , and she knew it.

She took a moment to observe Nanaly and her reaction before speaking. "What have we here? A girl picking flowers amidst a field of gold?" She purred in a sensual voice too smooth to belong to a dragon, leaning forward as she continued to eye Nanaly

Stygia took the time to observe Nanaly and her reaction to her sudden surfacing.

[Sunoko]

She only needed a few more. Nanaly tried to work as quickly and quietly as she could to finish collecting the flowers, as a particular shiver had continually assaulted her body. Her adept training in soulbinding had sharpened her own senses, and nothing she felt about this place felt right. In particular, she didn't like being so close to this large, strange basin, and it's particular smell. Somewhere in the deepest recesses of her mind, it occurred to her that it might have even been possible to simply cause the budding flowers she'd passed earlier to bloom with her words of power, but even in this uncomfortable of a situation, she preferred not to use them; So much as opening her mouth was ever the subject of debate for little Nanaly, as she wouldn't be able to predict just what affects that might have on the rest of the world.

The girl picked one final bringbout flower, completing her collection. She only needed the milk of one or two plants to create a cure for the boy, but in her ever-cautious mind, it occurred to her that collecting a few more might benefit her in the long run; she could cultivate some of the less fertile ground near her home, and re-plant the flowers there so that she might have an easier time of creating this potion. She would have sighed in relief of a job well done, if she didn't already know the consequences of--

Not that it mattered. Something began to stir within the basin before her that caused her breath to freeze in her chest, the unnerving feeling that had been assaulting her thus far spiking wildly now. Danger approached; The basin's green liquid surface was disturbed, and the girl could only back a few feet away before a much larger reaction came to pass. Out from within the lake of foul waters came the head of-- there was no mistaking it-- A great dragon, which quickly and easily towered over the girl just by raising it's head.

Her attention was split between this sudden development and the sight of the green liquid from within the basin splashing down upon the bringbout vines which encircled it; She shuddered involuntarily as the vines began to wither and dissolve, and silently thanking whatever sense she had to step back when she heard the bubbling earlier. That a creature like this could remain dormant in such... vicious conditions... the thought invoked both fear and awe. The dragon was clearly not to be tested...

It spoke to her, which nearly caused a yelp of surprise from the girl; Years of training (and likely losing her voice at the sight of such a large creature) preventing the worst case scenario. It questioned her-- or rather, her presence-- in a tone of voice the girl wasn't familiar with. Cautiously, and slowly, Nanaly reached into her robe, and from it she pulled forth a handful of what seemed like a white dust, or powder; It was for something similar to this situation she'd found herself in that she'd brought the walking stick. She reached down, and covered the bottom of her stick with the white powder, rubbing it thoroughly into the staff before proceeding to do what might have seemed unnecessary to a creature so grand as this dragon; Write out a sentence.

'I am sorry to have disturbed you', the message-- large enough for her audience to read-- would spell out. It was intelligent enough to speak; Hopefully it was also not driven by the same heated blood that ran through most other dragons. People called her a 'Thaumaturge'; A miracle-worker, so to speak, but she had no wish nor hope to test that title against a dragon.

[DaGlobster]

Stygia watched Nanaly with some sort of keen interest as she prepared her stick for writing. Her claws adjusted on the rim of the basin while her eyes followed every movement. Her body language wasn't aggressive, but it wasn't loose and friendly, either. She was guarded, which given the situation, was only a natural response. Nanaly was a stranger in her lair, after all.

She leaned her head down slightly to read the short sentence Nanaly had written on the ground. She mulled it over, before redirecting her eyes at the intruder.

"Well, disturbed me you have. Prove you haven't stolen anything from me, and maybe my mood will improve..."

[Sunoko]

Indeed, the dragon could speak. It was much clearer to Nanaly this time; The voice, the tone, the situation that she'd found herself in. This was a dragoness, something she would otherwise have been unable to tell. Dragons, to her, were foreign creatures to be respected and feared; She was never allowed to study much in the way of dragonology as a child, having instead devoted her time and effort to the magical arts... For all the good it did her.

The dragoness's request, at first, seemed strange to the girl, before she further realized the situation she was in. The dragon had been resting at the bottom of the basin; The room surrounding was, now that she really paid attention, filled almost unmistakeably with gold and jewels. This castle... was it's lair. And she, in an effort to avoid stumbling into said dragon lairs, had unwittingly traversed deep into one.

Nanaly silently sighed at her misfortune, but could do nothing for it but comply to the dragoness's demands. Slowly, she sat the small pouch of flowers down onto the floor before her. She paused for a moment, thoughtfully, before just as slowly-- and even more cautiously-- removing her cloak as well, placing it on the ground. It reavealed her bare, silken arms, and reminded her of the climate of the mountains. Still, she wasn't exactly in the driver's seat of this situation... She couldn't complain just yet.

[DaGlobster]

Stygia's eyes followed Nanaly's movements with increasing curiosity. They narrowed once they reached for her coat, and a droplet of acid fell from her chin, falling on the ground and sizzling away a small pothole into the stone.

Her tail swayed comfortably behind her, however, pleased to know that she was in control of the situation. Oh, how she loved being in control...

She lifted herself out of the acid a bit more, resting her forelegs on the rim by the elbow and stretching out her wings, a casual display of dominance.

"Impressive. You've proven you don't have anything in your sleeves!" She said, mocking happiness. The friendliness in her voice quickly eroded, just like her patience.

"Keep going."

[Sunoko]

Well, her idea worked... sort-of. At the very least, she was still alive, which meant that she didn't entirely insult the creature before her. However, taking off her cloak was... not sufficient. That, honestly, worried the girl a little one two fronts; Not enough to warrant a reply, but something in the back of Nanaly's mind felt a little oppressed and discouraged in the way that this dragonness was essentially bossing her around. Still, she knew better than to argue with a dragon.

There was, on the other hand, the matter of just how much further the greater creature wished for her to go. Beneath her cloak, Nanaly wore little more than a dress, fashioned from tattered rags and patched with visible thread. She wore sandals on this particular outing, due to having to cross a small river on her way here. Beneath that, just her small clothes; She looked down at herself for a moment, before looking back at her audience uncertainly, before slowly reaching behind her neck, and untying the strings that held up her dress. She paused, contemplatively, before slowly, and as non-threateningly as possible, lowering and removing the dress entirely.

Stepping backwards out of the dress, Nanaly crossed her arms across her torso on instinct. Bandaging wrapped her chest, and she at least held some 'dignity' in still being allowed her boyshorts. She wasn't used to being so... visible. Vulnerable. The pessimist in her feared this situation was slowly spiraling out of her hands, but she did her best to remain positive. Hopefully, this would appease the dragonness.

[DaGlobster]

Stygia looked at Sunoko, eyes still holding suspicion, before suddenly, and almost without warning, her iciness just melted away. She smiled, and went up in a whirl of twisting black whispers and glowing green gas. When she recoalesced, she was an incredibly beautiful woman, using her wings as a makeshift dress.

"Pardon the suspicion, but sometimes, the locals get vindictive. A girl can't trust anyone these days. Why have you come here, then? If not to steal from me?"